About the Club

Mission Statement

The Carolina Bird Club is a non-profit organization that represents and supports the birding community in the Carolinas through its website, publications, meetings, workshops, trips, and partnerships, whose mission is


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The Carolina Bird Club, Inc., is a non-profit educational and scientific association open to anyone interested in the study and conservation of wildlife, particularly birds.

The Club meets each winter, spring, and fall at different locations in the Carolinas. Meeting sites are selected to give participants an opportunity to see many different kinds of birds. Guided field trips and informative programs are combined for an exciting weekend of meeting with people who share an enthusiasm and concern for birds.

The Club offers research grants in avian biology for undergraduate and graduate students, and scholarships for young birders.

The Club publishes two print publications (now also available online). The Chat is a quarterly ornithological journal that contains scientific articles, reports of bird records committees and bird counts, and general field notes on bird sightings. CBC Newsletter is published bimonthly and includes birding articles and information about meetings, field trips, and Club news.

The Club provides this website to all for free.

By becoming a member, you support the activities of the Club, receive reduced registration fee for meetings, can participate in bonus field trips, and receive our publications.

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Field trip descriptions
Online registration

Fall Meeting in the South Carolina Upstate

Irvin Pitts

We hope you will join us as we gather for a fun-filled weekend on September 28–29, 2012 during our Fall CBC meeting in Greenville, SC. We have an exciting array of field trips planned that will take us to some of South Carolina's finest and most treasured natural resources and regionally popular birding hot-spots. We hope for a diverse variety of birds and look forward to shared memories as we seek out such species as migrating Broad-winged Hawks and Peregrine Falcons as well as multitudes of resident and migrant Neotropical songbirds. These may include a host of wood warblers such as Chestnut-sided, Tennessee, Magnolia, Cape May, Blackburnian and many others. Of course, there is also the chance of encountering more difficult to find species like Philadephia Vireo, Gray-cheeked Thrush, Golden-winged Warbler and others. Fall birding is always exciting in the upstate!

Our meeting headquarters is the Greenville Holiday Inn at I-85 and 4295 Augusta Road. There are two special room rates being offered to CBC members: $59.00/night and $62.00/night + taxes. The $62 rate includes a buffet breakfast. Some rooms are equipped with microwaves and small refrigerators that are provided on a first-come first-served basis. All reserved rooms are non-smoking. The Holiday Inn will also be the location for our evening programs and for our Saturday night dinner buffet. To register for a room, contact the Holiday Inn at (864)-277-8921 and be sure to mention you are with the CBC. These special rates are being held until September 19, so don't delay.

Our Saturday night dinner buffet is being provided by the hotel, and pre-registration is required. The cost is $22/person all inclusive. The buffet menu will include a vegetarian entrée, and participants should indicate this preference when registering. Note: The registration form printed in the Newsletter accidentally gave Friday as the day for the dinner buffet. The day is definitely Saturday! A social gathering is also planned on Friday evening, prior to our evening program. This will be an excellent opportunity to make new friends and greet old acquaintances! .

Our keynote speaker on Saturday evening is Dr. Patrick McMillan, host, co-creator, and writer of the popular and award-winning ETV nature program Expeditions with Patrick McMillan. Over the past fifteen years Patrick has worked as a professional naturalist, biologist and educator. His range of experience has concentrated on botany (plant science), though he is also well-respected through his work in ichthyology, herpetology, mammalogy and ornithology. Patrick is a professional naturalist, lecturer, and director of the Campbell Museum of Natural History at Clemson University.

On Friday evening, award-winning natural history and conservation photographer Clay Bolt will join us. Clay's significant work has been featured by The Nature Conservancy, Scientific American, Outdoor Photographer, The Telegraph, Outdoor Photography and Digital Photographer, among others. In addition, he was a major photographic contributor to the book Conserve A Legacy: Natural Lands & Waters in South Carolina with southeastern conservationist Thomas Wyche and is very active with a number of regional conservation efforts including Discover Life in America and the Partnership for the Blue Ridge.

We hope you will join us for an exciting weekend of birding and presentations, so register today!